State Targets Spouse Abusers ...

April 9, 1994

Occasionally, Florida's state government acts in the right way for the right reasons. It has just done so to curb the continuing outrage of domestic abuse.

First, Gov. Lawton Chiles named a Task Force on Domestic Violence. Then the task force delivered its recommendations. Now the Legislature has passed a comprehensive bill to toughen penalties for those who abuse spouses or partners, and to give police more intervention power to stop violence before someone is killed.

This issue of battered spouses is far from a minor matter. Last year in Florida, domestic violence led to the deaths of 234 women. More than 100,000 incidents of domestic assault, a staggering figure, were reported - in this state alone.

The new penalties and intervention power, almost certain to be signed into law by Chiles, send a stern warning to spouse abusers: Longer jail sentences and the denial of parental rights will be a reality in Florida.

Instead of a maximum 60 days in jail, a spouse abuser could be locked up for a year. Violators of an injunction against domestic violence - even those who make a threat - could likewise reside for a year in a jail cell.

In most cases, abusers would lose custody of their children, and could be stopped from visiting them. Some of these violent abusers also harm their children.

A new statewide hotline for police will list all court protection orders. This means a victim who leaves her home area to move elsewhere in the state could be better protected if her former partner follows her.

A police officer called to a residence where a man has been beating a woman may intervene immediately. Without a warrant, he can arrest the abuser, to prevent further injury.

Finally, this excellent bill adds an $18 fee to every Florida divorce action. The fee will raise about $1.5 million a year, to help finance Florida's 37 shelters for abused women. Florida's government is criticized frequently, usually for justified reasons. This time, in fairness, it should be complimented.